


Vigil

by Emmeebee



Category: UnREAL (TV)
Genre: Angst, Gen, One-Shot, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26948971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emmeebee/pseuds/Emmeebee
Summary: The finale of Everlasting: All Stars has aired, but Maya still hasn’t found peace.





	Vigil

Tyres screeched on the street ten storeys below. Maya kicked off her tangled blanket with a sigh and rolled to stare out the window. Ever since that night with Roger, she preferred to sleep with the curtains open. Small, enclosed spaces reminded her too much of him.

No. She wasn't going to think about that now. Narrowing her eyes, she counted the lights in the windows of the hotel across the street. Five — no, six.

It made her feel less alone to know she wasn't the only person awake at this ungodly hour. Were the others up early or late? Were any of them struggling with insomnia?

It didn't matter. They were there.

Her eyelids drooped, heavy and warm with tiredness.

A hand on the back of her head. The chill of the tiles through her dress. Slow, half-formed thoughts bogged down by too much wine.

Cold shivers skittered down her spine and settled in her bones. She opened her eyes with a flinch and scanned the room in the dim light.

A bare desk. A long mirror. A cushioned armchair.

Empty, just as it had always been.

This was ridiculous. The live finale of Everlasting: All-Stars had aired several hours ago, revealing the truth about what Roger did to her and tried to do to Noelle.

Maya's name was clear, and even if she never took him to court, women all over America knew what he was capable of. She'd done what she set out to do. She'd won.

Why did winning feel so much like losing? Why did she still feel adrift?

Maya grabbed her cell phone and opened her internet app, blinking against the harsh light of the screen. She was halfway to Twitter, ready to search the hashtags for references to Everlasting, when she stopped herself with a muffled scream.

That way lay self-torment. Even though Quinn and Rachel had confirmed what happened on air, there would be viewers who still blamed her. They'd insist that she brought the rape on herself, that the producers were lying, that Roger was more likeable than her, that he'd been wrong but she had too...

Obsessing over what everyone thought was unhealthy and pointless. The best thing she could do was block out the noise.

But how could she when it was impossible to sleep, knowing the world was once again judging her? From now on, anytime she walked down the street, she'd risk pitying looks and snide remarks. When she returned to work, she'd be surrounded by people who knew her worst secrets.

Being famous for castrating her rapist on national television was better than being famous for accosting a man for kissing another woman. Still, if she had her time again, she would never have set foot on the set of Everlasting.

Maya slid the phone under the bed, out of reach, and rose to get a chocolate bar from the mini-fridge. The first mouthful of gooey caramel tasted like pure bliss after the tasteless slop they'd served in prison.

Turning on the TV, she switched to a mindless action movie before settling back in bed. Hopefully, the plot would be simple and flashy enough for even her distracted mind to follow.

She'd talk to Faith in the morning, maybe even look at scheduling some counselling sessions. But for now, she just needed to get through the night.

And so began her vigil.


End file.
